Slow Dance
by action force reaction
Summary: [ Seto x Mai ] A series of oneshot drabbles from my assortment of claims on Livejournal.
1. Slow Dance

**Slow Dance**

At first, his warmth had puzzled her; he went out of his way to make sure he was percieved to be made of ice. However, she proved that to be a fallacy the very first time she'd pestered him into dancing with her. It was a slow dance at a rather exclusive party they had both been invited to, and he was the only one she'd been interested in talking to. His boredom and utter disgust at the majority of the guests had opened him up to her conversation, as minor as it was. Within five minutes, she'd asked him to dance with her.

His immediate reaction was absolute; there was no way he was going to humiliate himself on the dance floor. She tried every trick in the book; pouting, sulking, coaxing him until finally he surrendered to her. One dance; one song. The next song they played was at a reduced tempo, and she took his hand, leading him onto the floor. It was larger than hers and felt amazingly warm; Mai hadn't really been cold before, but for a brief moment she believed that she felt his warmth rush through her. Blaming it on the miniscule amount of alcohol she'd drank that night, the blonde passed it off quickly. However, when he folded his arms around her however awkwardly, she felt the feeling again.

A look of mild suprise graced his features as she indicated carefully for him to move; he was a quick study. A naturally graceful man, Seto Kaiba was matching her moves perfectly; he'd yet to stumble over himself once, a large achievement for a man who didn't dance often. She'd only had to show him once where to place his hands (without any exploratory fumbles, something she gave him props for), still feeling the radiating warmth she'd first experienced, especially on the small of her back. Mai blamed the fact she couldn't control her smile on the alcohol again, despite her lack of it; she refused to admit that she actually liked her current situation. Looking up to see his reaction to things, Mai was secretly disappointed to see a look of sheer disinterest.

"Seto?" She asked, quietly. He looked down at her, finally, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is the song almost over?" The tall man asked, and Mai felt herself mentally kicking herself for enjoying the simple dance so much. She'd felt like they were in their own world; as if time had slowed down and everyone in the entire room was staring at them. Scowling, she realized that the last part was almost true--an assortment of people were amazed at the girl who finally got the CEO of Kaiba Corporation to dance with her.

"Yeah, I think so," she answered slowly, then leaned her head on his chest. "Did you know you're...really warm?"

"I am?" Seto asked, mildly interested. "I don't think I've ever been told that before."

"I never really pegged you as the type for excessive physical contact."

"You pegged me right," he answered, then looked down at her right as she looked up. "The song is over."

"I'm sorry," she spoke, and just as he was about to question her statement she leaned up and kissed him softly. Seto's body locked up immediately; she felt his chest stiffen, his arms reaching up to grip her shoulders. Thinking that he was attempting to deepen the kiss, Mai leaned up higher--and felt him push her down. His cerulean eyes were full of confusion and something else that she couldn't quite identify.

Nearly a minute later, Seto shook his head. "Good night, Mai." Releasing her shoulders, he turned away from her and headed towards the exit. Suprised at his actions, Mai stood behind and watched his back; she saw him reach up towards his mouth, and realized he was probably wiping her bold move away the first chance he got. She scowled, then turned away and resumed her earlier position near the punch bowl.

Anyone who could actually see Seto walking away could see that he wasn't wiping, he was _examining_--obviously, the brunette was suprised by Mai's rather sudden display of affection. What suprised him more was the fact he actually _liked it_; this is what had him pressing his index and middle finger to his lips gingerly. Turning around when he was sure she was out of sight, he almost smiled.

Almost.

A/N: This is actually for my 30kisses claim over at eljay (and it's been posted in my writing journal already), but for some reason I decided to move it over and post it here. :D This'll likely end up with a series of one-shot drabbles from my claims; so uh...yeah. Remember, I don't own Seto, Mai, or Yuugiou--and suing me would just make you suck. :


	2. Music Box

**A/N**: This is actually my first attempt at darkfic. XD I lost horribly though, and it ended up a lot more cute than I'd intended...so I never posted it at the community. Regardless, I still don't own Yuugiou, so suing me'd only get you a bucket of emo, mopey tears. I doubt you want mopey tears. ..

**Music Box**

Her first memory as a child was the music box.

Even now, she remembered every detail--the dancing ballerina and how she'd based her life upon it, every note of the wordless song that invoked a sadness she couldn't describe. Often when she was lonely, the familiar tune floated back--sometimes it was a low hum; as if it was playing in the next room. Other times it was nearly deafening, reaching the point she couldn't focus. When the unwanted song became all she could hear, Mai knew it was time to stop whatever she was doing--it was always at it's worst when she was lonely. As a child, she heard it constantly--every time she closed her eyes, every time she felt alone. Ever since she could remember, she'd been alone, or just felt that way--sometimes, she had someone who would try to reach her, yet they always failed. Jounouchi, Varon; and now she was working on adding a third casualty to the list. 

Somehow or another they'd ended up sleeping together; the fact she couldn't remember the circumstances led her to believe she was drunk, but the way she felt when she woke up made her want to stay. She couldn't hear the music anymore; finally, it was the silence she'd desired for so long. Silence spare his quiet breathing, something that brought a smile to her face, despite how miniscule. Something that made her wonder if she still had hope after all; if she wasn't doomed to be alone forever. Speaking those feelings to him would only annoy or confuse him, so she kept them to herself along with the fact she was awake--she didn't feel like attempting to answer questions she couldn't remember the answers to. He felt warm; soft--so much unlike what he wanted everyone to believe.

She'd managed to drift off to sleep after that, and woke up alone. Realizing that her feeling was too good to last, she'd got up, got dressed, and headed downstairs--to find him staring at her rather questionably. He was more casual than she'd ever seen him, in only a pair of jeans with a TV remote in his hand--for unknown reasons, that compelled her to him. He appeared human, now--not the ice king she had previously anticipated. He seemed like someone she could at least spend the rest of the day with.

Not to mention, seeing him again drastically turned the volume down on the soft tune she couldn't quite get rid of.

After that day, it had been months since she heard it again. Being apart from him didn't drive her to loneliness; she knew that he'd be back, she knew that he wasn't going to abandon her. His blue eyes assured her wordlessly and without effort; his hand on hers reminded her she could make it through whatever she was forced to endure. She'd finally stopped trying to tell herself that she didn't need or want him; she'd came to terms with the fact she did. It seemed that everything was perfect; but if there was one thing Kujaku Mai knew, it was that perfection couldn't last.

She came home late from work that night; her exhaustion was nearly taking over, and she wanted nothing more than to stumble into bed with him; when she wasn't alone, her nightmares left her be. Opening the door, she headed slowly up to his study, figuring he'd still be there, working late as well--when she heard it. Slowly at first, the song was getting faster--and louder. Mai felt her fists clenching; her arms starting to shake. How could this happen? She'd finally achieved what she wanted; she'd become the ballerina, she'd become everything she'd ever wanted. She was _happy_. Why was it still haunting her? Why was--

No.

_This isn't right._ Mai insisted to herself, then slowly reached for the door to Seto's study with trembling hands. Opening the doorknob, she found her eyes meeting with the back of his chair.

"Seto?" She asked timidly, and the chair spun around rather quickly. Her lover looked tired and slightly puzzled; a familiar object between his rather capable hands.

"What is this?" He asked casually, turning the key to make the tiny ballerina continue to dance; to make the song continue. "Mai?"

"Why...why should I know?" She asked defensively, glaring at him; then at the music box. "This isn't mine. I've never seen it before--" 

"Someone gave it to me with specific instructions to pass it on to you."

"...What?" She asked, starting to visibly panic. "Who...?"

"I don't know; I've never seen them before. Regardless, this is yours," Seto spoke evenly, then stood up and placed it in her hands. Still unstable, she dropped it to the floor instantly; watched it break, listened to the music stop. Finally, it really was over. Seto had turned around in suprise when he heard the crash, and found himself staring at her with intense confusion. Shaking her head, Mai walked away--she took his hand, and insisted it was nothing.

That night, just as she was drifting off to sleep, she waited and waited for the sound to return. To this day, she's still waiting; waiting to hear the soft tune; waiting to be alone again. She doesn't know that he waits as well; he waits for the day she stops waiting, for the day she realizes that she'll never hear it again.


	3. King of the World

**A/N:** Due to inactivity, I've managed to lose my claims on LJ; so now I'm more-or-less just writing one-shots for the hell of it. Sorry for the lack of updates, I hope you like this one! 

**King of the World**

"You are, without a doubt, the most unorganized person I've ever met."

Kujaku Mai resented that remark; she didn't like people poking holes in her pride, and she liked that particular allegation even less. Just because she didn't have what _had_ to be a minor form of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder didn't mean she was unorganized.

"Oh, but _you_ are the most anal retentive person _I've_ ever met."

Her response had been childish at best, but the random statement had thrown her off guard; a guard she rarely let down, even around Seto Kaiba. He seemed to have a sense for the few times she did; every time she really became at-ease with her surroundings, Seto threw something at her to snap her back to reality. Mai had long figured out that those reactions amused him, and started going out of her way to avoid them.

He picked _that_ up too; he was a businessman, and had been trained to read people in the most efficent way possible. Little did he know that she'd had her own share of experience in that department--working as a mock-psychic in a casino had taught her almost all she needed to know; the rest of her people skills were acquired through extravagant parties that she'd attended as a trophy. Secretly annoyed with being the jewel on some practical stranger's arm, she'd usually walk off to find something more entertaining to do.

It'd been at one of those ridiculous parties that she'd first spotted him. Standing by himself, watching the champagne-drinking crowd wearily--he looked like someone who would at least offer her a challenge. The glass of wine he had in his right hand was still full; it looked like he hadn't even taken a sip yet. _Smart man_, she'd thought.

Months later, she knew she was right.

It had taken quite a bit of work to get close to him; the fact that he wouldn't just throw her down and give in to his hormones made her want him more, and the fact that despite her exterior she had a wit that could match his peaked his interest. It'd taken longer than even she anticipated, but when she finally broke through to him she was in too far to run.

At first it'd scared her, but she adjusted; so did he. Many of his solitary late nights spent working overtime on the computer were rather rudely interrupted by the tall blonde woman sitting on his desk and flat-out refusing to leave until he finally went to bed with her. Attending the occasional charity ball became even more profitable for him with her around; she did most of the boring small-talk, recruited a few new allies for KaibaCorp that hadn't already sided with him out of fear, and managed to fend off Pegasus more than once. While the gray-haired man loved to ask awkward questions about their sex life in front of both of them, Mai would only laugh and come up with a retort Seto himself hadn't even thought of.

The previous assumption that being Seto Kaiba's girlfriend would protect her from his scrutiny was proven wrong rather quickly; one of his favorite things turned out to be picking tiny holes in her obsession for perfection. This just happened to be one of them.

She'd spent over an hour in their room alone, thinking of a way to get the upper hand back--for some reason, her mind was completely blank. Everything she thought of had a potential unfavorable outcome, and she wanted a sure thing. Unfortunately, that was nearly impossible.

Finally heading out, she found him smirking and radiating confidence; he knew he'd won this one. Narrowing her eyes, Mai proceeded into the room only to be met with a gift box--opening it up, she found a rather expensive personal organizer inside, as well as an incredibly nice looking pen.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Mai grumbled. "Complaining to me, then getting me something to rub it in? Asshole."

Laughing faintly, Seto stood from his chair. "Hardly. I'm only trying to remedy the situation."

"...Excuse me?" She asked, crossing her arms and placing the box on his desk. "Explain."

"I intended on it," he replied sharply, walking over to her. "I thought it would be a nice compromise."

Mai's face flattened; it was obvious she was far from impressed. "Oh, really now."

"You get organized, I stop complaining. Everyone's happy, and the lovely fairy tale goes on."

"Are you asking for me to punch you?" She snapped, her face showing a steadily growing anger.

"...Or, you could just throw it at me and pretend this never happened," he responded slyly. "Doing that will only result in me continuing to complain, though. I've put the decision in your hands."

Storming out in aggrivation, Mai returned a few hours--and drinks--later, only to find the office empty. Hoping to go with the second option and forget everything ever happened, she ended up sitting down and examining the unwanted gift he'd bought her. Letting the alcohol talk, Mai took out the pen and scribbled, "SETO KAIBA IS AN ASSHOLE!" on the first page, then ripped it out and stuck it right in the middle of his closed laptop. Laughing immaturely, it wasn't until the next morning that she found out the pen wrote in the same shade of violet as her eyes.


End file.
